Text 28]
The Birth of Lord Krṣṇa
243
meditation;  mā —not;  pratyakṣam —directly visible;  māṁsa-dṛśām —to those who see with their material eyes;  kṛṣīṣṭhāḥ —please be.
TRANSLATION
My Lord, because You dispell all the fear of Your devotees, I request You to save us and give us protection from the terrible fear of Kaṁsa. Your form as Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is appreciated by yogīs in meditation. Please make this form invisible to those who see with material eyes.
PURPORT
The word  dhyāna-dhiṣṇyam  is significant in this verse because the form of Lord Viṣṇu is meditated upon by  yogīs  ( dhyānāvasthita-tadgatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ ). Devakī requested the Lord, who had appeared as Viṣṇu, to conceal that form, for she wanted to see the Lord as an ordinary child, like a child appreciated by persons who have material eyes. Devakī wanted to see whether the Supreme Personality of Godhead had factually appeared or she was dreaming the Viṣṇu form. If Kaṁsa were to come, she thought, upon seeing the Viṣṇu form he would immediately kill the child, but if he saw a human child, he might reconsider. Devakī was afraid of Ugrasena-ātmaja; that is, she was afraid not of Ugrasena and his men, but of the son of Ugrasena. Thus she requested the Lord to dissipate that fear, since He is always ready to give protection ( abhayam ) to His devotees. "My Lord," she prayed, "I request You to save me from the cruel hands of the son of Ugrasena, Kaṁsa. I am praying to Your Lordship to please rescue me from this fearful condition because You are always ready to give protection to Your servitors." The Lord has confirmed this statement in the  Bhagavad-gītā  by assuring Arjuna, "You may declare to the world, My devotee shall never be vanquished."
While thus praying to the Lord for rescue, mother Devakī expressed her motherly affection: "I understand that this transcendental form is generally perceived in meditation by the great sages, but I am still afraid because as soon as Kaṁsa understands that You have appeared, he might harm You. So I request that for the time being You become invisible to